Poultry litter disintegrating machines now in commercial use that utilize flail units or rotors for comminuting the litter are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,619,412 and 4,708,294. In these machines, a rearwardly and upwardly inclined scraper blade is positioned forwardly of and over the full axial length of the flail rotor. As the machine is advanced, the blade scrapes a layer of the litter from the poultry floor which layer then moves rearwardly and upwardly along the inclined scraper blade into the operating zone of the rotor flail members, which disintegrate the litter as it moves rearwardly off the upper edge of the scraper blade. During this operation, gouging or digging of the scraper blade into the ground surface is prevented by setting the leading edge of the blade a predetermined distance above the ground surface. The cutting and lifting of the litter from the ground surface requires not only appreciable power, but care must be used in retaining the ground adjustment of the blade.